Michael McDonald Shares 'What's Going On (Live)'

Singer/songwriter and five-time Grammy Award winner Michael McDonald's live rendition of the Marvin Gaye classic "What's Going On" is premiering now at Rolling Stone.

Listen below! Rolling Stone hails the track as "A soul classic remake that's more than just a lazy retread...'What's Going On' remains a pained cry over a world in tumult, but it's now reborn for an even more challenging and dangerous point in history."

"It's uncanny and somewhat amazing how great songs or poems relevant to a specific time frame in which they're written only seem to grow in their profound resonance with the years," notes McDonald. "'What's Going On,' written by the late, great Marvin Gaye, is one of those."

Additionally, McDonald recently performed a Tiny Desk (Home) Concert for NPR Music.

McDonald will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on November 7 as a member of the legendary group The Doobie Brothers alongside band mates Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons and John McFee.

"It's been one of the great honors of my life to share the stage with all these guys over the years," notes McDonald. "To see the band receive this honor is wonderful to say the least."

Other non-active band members being inducted with The Doobie Brothers include Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Tiran Porter, John Hartman, the late Michael Hossack and the late Keith Knudsen. This year marks The Doobie Brothers' first appearance on the voting ballot.

Most recently, McDonald has completed an extensive U.S. tour with R&B legend Chaka Khan and released the holiday compilation Season of Peace: The Christmas Collection (out now via BMG) as well as a full-length album of new material-Wide Open-which received extensive critical praise from the Los Angeles Times, NPR Music, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and many more.

McDonald celebrated the release of Wide Open with a pair of appearances on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," performing the album track "Find It In Your Heart" as well as collaborating with Thundercat and Kenny Loggins on the trio's hit single "Show You The Way" from Thundercat's critically acclaimed LP Drunk. McDonald was also featured on CBS "Sunday Morning" in the wake of the album's release.

Photo credit: Timothy White

To post a comment, you must register and login.